Various cable management systems have been developed for retaining and aesthetically covering cables or wires (collectively “cables”), such as electrical power wires, audio cables, video cables, etc., when the cables need to extend from one location to another location. For example, when a flat screen television (“TV”) mounted on a vertical wall needs to be connected by a cable to an electrical outlet or an electronic device which is located a vertical distance below the TV, a cable management system is attached to the wall extending between the two locations for retaining the cable and also hiding the cable from view. The covers of track units, from which the cable management system is formed, are designed to blend into the wall, to provide that the system containing the cable(s) is not readily noticeable on the wall.
In the typical cable management system, multiple track units are individually affixed to a wall and positioned end-to-end. It is desired that a track of a track unit, which is to be affixed to a wall, is longitudinally aligned with a track of a track unit already affixed to the wall such that, when the covers are fitted over the respective tracks, the covers and thus the track units form a pleasing looking, longitudinally aligned series of track units. It has been found, however, that a user oftentimes has difficulty affixing a first track to a wall in longitudinal alignment with a preceding second track in the series already affixed to the wall, because the user must hold the first track in longitudinal alignment with the second track while also attempting to affix the first track to the wall, for example, using a screwdriver and screw that would be inserted into an aperture of the first track.
In addition, a user often encounters difficulty installing a cable management system when the desired longitudinal length of the series of track units is not equal to the lengths that can be obtained using the fixed length track units available for use with the cable management system. In such circumstances, the user needs to cut the cover and track of one of the available track units to obtain a series of track units having a desired longitudinal length. The need to cut the track unit requires that suitable cutting tools be available or obtained. In addition, the user needs to be proficient with the use of such cutting tools, so that the cut that is obtained is accurate and precise and also, particularly with respect to the cover, has an aesthetically pleasing outward appearance.
In known cable management systems, the cover of a track unit, when fitted over the corresponding track, becomes engaged to the track. The engagement mechanism, which typically is a snap fit between the track and cover, provides that a user can, without exerting much force, cover the track with the cover after the track has been affixed to a wall surface and cables are retained within the track. Although existing engagement mechanisms provide that a user can easily cover a track with a cover, it has been found that, following engagement, the cover is easily disengaged from the track if the cables being retained by the cable management system are moved. For example, if following installation of the cable management system the cables at an end of the series of track units are pulled during repositioning of the cables, the cables may be caused to move against the cover of a track of a track unit with sufficient force to disengage the cover from the track of such track unit. Disengagement of the cover from the track is undesirable for several reasons. In particular, if the covers of the track units have been painted, the disengagement of the cover from the corresponding track likely will mar an aesthetically pleasing finish obtained by painting of the covers of the track units of the cable management system.
Therefore, there exists a need for a cable management system having track units that can be easily longitudinally aligned with one another and configured to obtain any desired longitudinal length. In addition, there exists need for enhancing the engagement between the cover and the corresponding track of a track unit, after the cover and track have been engaged with each other.